Timothy Noah

I wish I could say the above video is an exaggeration, but it really isn’t. Timothy Noah demonstrates this in The New Republic in a charming article entitled, Romney Cribs from the GOP’s Willie Horton Playbook. In the article Noah somehow fails to note that in 1988 the first candidate to bring up the fact that Michael Dukakis as governor of Massachusetts defended a furlough policy for prisoners, including convicted first degree murderers serving a life sentence, was Al Gore. Willie Horton, a first degree murderer serving a life sentence, received a weekend furlough, did not come back, and committed the crimes of rape, assault and auto theft. Horton was sentenced to two life sentences plus 85 years in Maryland. The Maryland judge refused to return him to Massachusetts, saying, “I’m not prepared to take the chance that Mr. Horton might again be furloughed or otherwise released. This man should never draw a breath of free air again.” Michael Dukakis as governor of Massachusetts thought that such furloughs were a great idea and defended the policy. Bush is accused by Noah of racism for bringing up these very inconvenient facts against Dukakis.

So much for history. How is Romney guilty of racism according to Noah?